GE Energy Helps New York City go Solar Chic
GE's Solar Electric Systems Installed in Battery Park City and at the Helena Apartment Building
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - October 7, 2005 - The Helena, a recently constructed 38-story residential apartment building in New York City, features GE Energy's solar power technology. Designed and installed on a turnkey basis by altPOWER, Inc., the solar electric systems, including GE's solar cells and modules, are now in full operation.
The Helena has a total of 17.1 kilowatts of building-integrated solar electric systems, including a solar entry canopy consisting of 28 custom-laminated glass panels, and 132 custom-mounted 110-watt solar panels on the roof. GE's solar electric systems installed at the Helena are made from 100 percent post-industrial recycled silicon and are expected to create 12,412 kilowatt-hours of sun-generated power annually.
GE Energy has been helping to bring solar power into New York City for four years. GE Energy and altPOWER also teamed up to provide solar technology for the Solaire apartment building and the east wing of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, both in the Battery Park City section of New York City.
The Solaire at 20 River Terrace has a 33-kilowatt building-integrated solar electric system. It is the nation's first environmentally sustainable high-rise residential building and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold-certified.
GE Energy's solar electric system includes mono-crystalline cells that were made of recycled silicon wafers from the semiconductor industry. The Solaire also includes an 8.4-kilowatt AC PV facade curtain wall, which integrates solar cells into some of the spandrel wall glass sections of the building. The total solar capacity is equal to five percent of the building's common electricity load. The building was completed in 2003, and last year produced 19,500 kilowatt hours of electricity.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage's east wing has a 36-kilowatt building-integrated solar electric system made from recycled silicon wafers from the semiconductor industry. The museum's total solar capacity equals five percent of the building's base electricity load. The building was completed in 2004, and is expected to create 45,626 kilowatt hours of sun-generated power annually.
"GE Energy is an industry leader in the integrated design of solar electric systems. We are proud to again partner with altPOWER to provide solar technology, one of the most efficient forms of renewable energy, to the people of Battery Park City," said Ali Iz, general manager of technology growth for GE Energy.
The continuing advancement of solar technology is a key element of GE ecomagination (www.ge.com/ecomagination), a GE commitment to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. Launched in May of this year, ecomagination is at the forefront of the company's business initiatives. Under ecomagination, GE will invest $1.5 billion annually in research in cleaner technologies by 2010, up from $700 million in 2004.
"GE Energy's solar systems help reduce peak demand, which is especially high during the summer in New York City when the sun is most powerful," said Anthony O. Pereira, altPOWER president and CEO. "altPOWER has worked on renewable energy projects all throughout the New York metropolitan area, and our solar installations at the Solaire, the Helena and the Museum of Jewish Heritage will help New Yorkers by decreasing their dependence on grid-supplied power during peak demand times when electricity costs are the highest."
The Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) is a New York State public benefit corporation whose mission is to plan, create, coordinate and maintain a balanced community of commercial, residential, retail, and park space within its designated 92-acre site on the lower west side of Manhattan.
About altPOWER
altPOWER was founded to provide expertise in the field of renewable energy systems with a focus on solar energy. altPOWER provides solar electric/photovoltaic systems design and installations, consulting services, solar resource studies, feasibility/cost studies and other renewable energy-related services, and specializes in commercial installations utilizing building integrated photovoltaic products.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenues of $17.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.
For more information, contact:
Dennis Murphy
GE Energy
+1 678 844 6948
dennis.murphy@ps.ge.com
Ken Darling or Beth Coffman
Masto Public Relations
+1 518 786 6488
kenneth.darling@ps.ge.com
beth.coffman@mastopr.com
